I must confess. My thoughts aren’t always positive and in line with God’s. I try, really I do. And sometimes, I’m successful. Days go by when I feel pretty darn good about it. Then….well, let’s just say, I don’t.

It’s easier when I’ve been deep in His Word, talking to Him, listening to Him. But sometimes, even that isn’t enough…

I’d LIKE to think this is ONLY spiritual warfare (if spiritual warfare should ever be linked with the word ONLY)…..something outside of myself. But I’m pretty sure that sometimes, it’s just me. Still struggling with that thing called sin.

Joyce Meyer in Battlefield of the Mind reminds me to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” I want to be obedient to Christ. He commands me to LOVE. Love is not critical and judgmental. I do not want to be judged the way I judge. The Lord knows how much I COULD and SHOULD be judged, but He gives His grace to me over and over….

She also tells me that “death is the result of following the mind of the flesh, and life is the result of following the mind of the Spirit.” If I dwell on the injustice done to me by another or start judging someone for what I think is a fault, I may notice that I’m “being filled with death” – getting upset, tense, stressed out, maybe even experiencing physical discomfort like headache, stomach ache, fatigue. Wow! I had never thought about it that way – I am being filled with death, rather than life!

Our thoughts may just be between us and the Lord, but “as he thinks in his heart, so is he…” Proverbs 23:7. I do not want to BE that judgmental person.

I want to be filled with LIFE and keep taking captive those thoughts that steal my JOY and my life.

Just another GC: I had written this a week ago but was waiting to publish until I “deemed appropriate.” However, in responding to a comment from another blogger, I found she had just published a similar post. Guess Someone wanted me to say this now 🙂 and guess I’d better start asking Him when/what He wants me to say EVERY TIME! Thanks for teaching me & growing me bit by bit…